The Cave Singers is from Seattle, Washington, featuring former band members from the Smiths-inspired band name called Pretty Girls Make Graves.
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Washington-based indie-folk quartet, The Cave Singers, rolled through Englewoodâ€™s historic Gothic Theatre last Friday in support of their fourth full-length album Naomi, out on Jagjaguwar. The band was accompanied by fellow Seattle natives and opener, The Pollens.

The Cave Singersâ€™ structure revolves around the vocal allure of bearded front man Pete Quirk. The Gothic proved to be the perfect venue for Quirk to showcase his raspy and intoxicating voice. Quirk splashes each song with inherent and exuberant yelps, yips and wails. Not a man of enunciation, Quirkâ€™s vocals add scratchy layers to the overall sound. Although distorted lyrics curl from his lips, there is no questioning Quirkâ€™s message as he wears his verse all over his face. One of the more expressive faces Iâ€™ve seen at a show, with eyes closed, Quirkâ€™s facial features tell the story of his music better than the lyrics themselves. And Quirk doesnâ€™t stop there; he continues to translate those lyrics through his body language. With a surprising amount of stage sass, Quirk conveys a mimed tale through his movements that draws the audience in completely. To say Quirk is utterly enduring would be a complete understatement. With the subtlety and sincerity Quirk readily displays through his facial expression, he is irresistibly mesmerizing.

With each song the band expanded and changed their sound by incorporating and modifying their instruments. From washboard to maracas, tambourine to melodica, their sound transformed with Quirkâ€™s rough vocals remaining the only constant. With a bass on his back and a flute in his hand, The Cave Singersâ€™ newest member, Morgan Henderson of Fleet Foxes, seemed to be a perfect pairing for this multi-instrumentalist band (see photo).

Running on self-proclaimed no sleep, The Cave Singers brought a healthy amount of energy to their Gothic performance, returning for a long encore to satisfy the pleas of the crowd. Overall a wonderful performance by The Cave Singers! On tour for the next month, should you find yourself at one of their shows I highly suggest getting within eyeshot of Quirkâ€™s face or packing a pair of binoculars.